24 Sep 2013

Braun silk-epil 7 epilator review

Have you tried epilating before? I've been a fan for a good few years now. Although it was a bit scary in the beginning - seeing the whirring little tweezer teeth and expecting pain - once I got the hang of it, it was easy and virtually pain-free. I tend to opt for epilating over other methods most of the time, and I never shave anymore as epilating can grab even really short hairs and because the hair is being pulled from the root, you stay smoother for longer. I wax if I feel like it - I'm weird, I quite like ripping off wax strips - or I'll wax if I'm going away and can't / don't want to take my epilator with me.

I've been using a trusty pink Braun epilator for a few years now - it was my first epilator purchase and it's served me well. Recently I was offered the chance to upgrade to a pretty new model - this glittery contraption is the *Braun Silk-Epil 7. This is an upgrade from my previous model as it has some nifty extra features. The silk-epil 7 can be used in the bath or shower as well as dry. Personally I prefer to use it dry as it's easier, but if you're used to shaving your legs in the bath or shower it might feel more natural to use this the same way, and it's nice to have the option. If you're worried about epilating being painful using it with warm water can make it feel more comfortable - also the silk-epil 7 has massaging rollers to reduce discomfort as you're moving it over your skin. Personally, I don't think it hurts at all once you get used to the feeling - it hurts no more than tweezing your eyebrows and I think it hurts less than waxing as with waxing you pull a large area lot of hair and your skin all at once. The set comes with a pack of special Olay wipes for soothing the skin, so if you're a first timer on are particular sensitive, these are a nice addition.

Also this model has more attachments and covers than my original epilator, which makes it more versatile and comfortable for using on different areas of the body. It also includes a shaver head attachment, so if you have got any hairs that are too short, or if you prefer to shave any areas you have that option too. The covers for the epilator attachment include a precision cap which is probably best for the bikini line area and a slightly wider one for underarms. For bigger areas like legs you can just use the epilator with the widest cap or without any covers.

The silk-epil 7 has 40 tweezers packed closely together, and it's been re-designed to get really close to the skin to grab hairs that are only half a millimetre in length. Although I didn't think there was anything wrong with my older epilator, I can really notice the difference when I use this one - it's much better at grabbing the hairs so hair removal is faster and I hardly need to go over any areas more than once. It also has a light on it which is a really clever touch to help you see what you're doing and spot rogue hairs.

I mentioned earlier that I didn't used to take my epilator on holiday and that's mainly because of the power issue. I tend to go to the US a lot where the electricity is not as powerful as ours, so some electricals don't work properly. As the Silk-epil 7 is cordless for using in the shower it also means it can hold a charge so that you can take it away without needing to plug it in. Charging for one hour gives you up to 40 minutes of de-fuzzing time. The cordless and wet and dry features also mean you can wash your epilator under running water rather than just brushing hairs out like you do with a non-waterproof one, so it's much more hygienic.